Toothless Wonder
by TheBlueJetpack
Summary: The Dwarven prince Benegrint seeks to reclaim something very precious to him. Meanwhile, Lincoln expresses his concern to Lola that a particular new-found possession may be doing more damage to her than good.


_A/N: Basically, this story and its companion story, Twinning Isn't Everything, came as an idea from the alleged animation error that appeared in 'Washed Up' where Lana was shown with front teeth for a few brief scenes. Don't count your chickens until they've hatched, but somehow, I feel that this is serving as a small fragment of foreshadowing for what is to come in Season 5, which was confirmed to have everyone move up one age. There were other little hints in that first wave of 4 episodes that were subtly dropped and easily missed. Why not go back and see if you can spot them all?_

_Once again, private messaging has now been opened; feel free to drop me a line._

_Writing a fictional story is an art all on its own, and like with any piece of art, there's a fine line between one that captivates your audience and one that is just generally weak. If you don't find a way to reach out to your audience and grasp them where it is felt the most, the story really just ends up falling flat. The story may be present, but if the passion for it isn't, it falters and dies quicker than it starts. One of the easiest things to forget is that you can write a phenomenal story with zero spelling errors, perfect grammar, and excellent usage of imagery and a dramatic build-up. But if the heart isn't present behind the scenes, all you have is words on paper that reflect the lack of spirit. That's why it's important to take your time with your stories and bring forth your best effort, most preferably by planning out your entire story BEFORE publishing. The effort really shows. It's not rocket science. I'd much rather read a story that has been well-planned out than one that consists of daily new chapters that stem purely from an on-the-spot idea with no sense of purpose for the overall story. So keep trying, Aligning, but don't try too hard. It's spelled 'summaries', not 'summary's'. You too, McBrown. There's a clear difference between quality and quantity. With a ratio of fanfiction submissions to stories totaling around 500:0, I'd say you've broken a record. It's too bad that's not the only thing that's clearly broken._

_One last fun fact: I read the description of the new episode, 'Kings of the Con': "_Eager to be named Kings of the Con at the Ace Savvy convention, Lincoln and Clyde convince the sisters to go with them as the Full Deck. But the girls get more attention, leading the boys to do whatever it takes to gain focus."

_That last sentence? Total agreement. The sisters have proven to be far more interesting characters than Lincoln and Clyde. Don't you think we have enough 'Clincoln McCloud' episodes by this point? This season barely feels like it has started and we already have 2 of these episodes with another on the way. This is just extreme overkill; can we please see a different character pairing?_

_Ranting and roasting done; let's get on with it. As always, reviews and feedback are welcome!_

* * *

Toothless Wonder

September 3, 2019 – October 12, 2019

The fiery sun beat down its boiling rays of smothering heat upon the men as they struggled on.

So it was, that after a fortnight of endless, bone-breaking marching of sweat and tears through the smoking bogs of Alasador, the Dwarven army reached the gated fortress of Gorgaron. Deep within the fortress, the mighty dragon, Grockgore, sat atop the Dwarven gold he had stolen. The dragon swore that Dwarven eyes would never again alight on the coveted gold. Still, the Dwarven prince, Benegrint, refused to be daunted. With his head held high and the sunlight threatening to taint his field of vision, he released his archers, and the sky rained fire upon Gorgaron.

But the wily dragon had anticipated such an attack. He had used his unholy magic to cast a protective cloak upon his fortress. The arrows fell away and sputtered on the ground, becoming nothing more to Grockgore than a pile of useless twigs. When the last arrow dropped down in a pathetic stumble, the dragon stood up and unleashed his own spectacular display of fire and smoke.

And good Benegrint knew…all was lost.

But that has nothing to do with what happened today, as Lincoln inserted the last of his mashed potatoes into his mouth with a bored expression on his face, that of which mirrored several of his siblings as they all sat at the dining table, finishing up their evening meal and listening to Lola ramble on about her latest pageant rehearsal, which everyone knew, was nothing more than her way of showing off a certain new possession.

It had been several weeks since Lola had first discovered that her front teeth were starting to push through her top gums. And for the weeks following, she talked and smiled nonstop, eager to present her new pearly whites to her family, friends, teachers, and just about anyone whom she passed by. And while everyone was happy for her, they were starting to show signs of irritation towards Lola's constant reminders of how perfect she now was with a full smile to replace the large gap that had been present prior.

There were two things that the only brother in the family had taken quiet notice of. The first was a little more obvious, and that was of Lola's twin sister Lana, who had become not only very quiet in the recent days, but also unusually grumpy. Lincoln had consulted with Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, and Lynn about this observation during a secret 'older sibling' meeting, and they had all agreed that they had noticed too. Something was setting Lana off down the wrong peak, and all fingers were pointing at Lola's new teeth as the source of her gloom. In the end, Luna had volunteered to speak with Lana and get to the bottom of the matter. Hopefully by the day's end, she could get some information out of the little grease monkey.

The answer looked rather clear, though; Lana's sour mood had started to leak through her normally tough skin not long after Lola began proudly displaying her new teeth. It would be surprising if the reason for Lana's scornfulness _wasn't _this.

The second thing that Lincoln had noticed was Lola herself…not because of her toothy grin, rather, what was _behind _the toothy grin. Any passersby would take Lola's smiles as ordinary looks of joy and jubilation upon a cute six-years old girl's adorable face. But to Lincoln, who had spent many months serving as Lola's pageant coach and trainer, not to mention six years as her big brother, had developed a knack in picking up on subtle clues from his sisters' body language that said otherwise and he felt that he had caught on to something that no one else apparently had. Maybe it was his imagination, but it seemed to Lincoln that not all of Lola's smiles were genuine.

It had been weeks since the little girl in the pink formal gown had begun prancing about with a fresh wide smile, but there was something about it that Lincoln found unsettling.

Or rather _suspicious_.

Yes, he was growing tired of constantly having the white shine of her new teeth flashed before his eyes as well as the sermons that accompanied them courtesy of Lola about how she was now the most adorable beauty queen on Earth with her new look or how much more pretty she had become within a few weeks. But he could detect an artificial element hidden behind all this.

Something was up. He could feel it.

So after dinner, as the dishwashing crew that consisted of Luan, Lucy, and Lynn began their work, Lincoln pulled Lola aside before she could make her way up the stairs.

"Hey, Lols? You wanna take a walk with me?"

Lola raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "A _walk_? Why would I want to do that?"

Lincoln shrugged. "No reason. It's a nice evening outside."

She looked away. "No thanks, I've got to read up on Gil DeLily's _Step by Step Steps of Perfect Princess Steps_ for next month's competition."

Ironic it was, how not too long ago, Lincoln had literally wrestled with Lola on the library floor to get her to read a simple book and now he was hoping to persuade her to not do such a chore.

"Come on Lola," he pressed a little harder. "Even a perfect princess like you needs her exercise. You _don't _want to look chubby on stage, do you?"

In a flash, Lola leapt up and yanked Lincoln's polo shirt collar, bringing him down lower than her level. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" she seethed, fire burning in her eyes.

His life was spared when Lisa passed by, balancing a jar of a dark blue liquid on top of a very thick textbook. "Technically, he did not call you anything," she stated. "It was all a matter of simply implying that an appearance of significant weight gain would not appeal to the judges evaluating your frivolous competitions in the near future."

"Have mercy," moaned a raspy voice from within the jar.

Lisa ignored it and departed up the stairs while Lincoln took a moment to give thanks to his science-wizz sister for using her elaborate speech to confuse Lola enough to give him time to mentally fabricate a response. He turned his attention back to Lola, who was still gripping his shirt and making him bend in an uncomfortable angle to stare into the eyes of a furious dragon that was breathing smoke out her nose. Lincoln reacted swiftly. "Lisa's right, I wasn't calling you anything. But you don't _want _to look like that in front of the judges, do you? You've got a win streak to keep!"

"I know that, you clod!"

"Annnnd…staying fit is the best way to keep up your body's appearance and overall health! You haven't been doing any exercise all week, and practice rounds of pagaent walks don't count," he said firmly.

Lola maintained her hold on Lincoln's shirt, but he could tell that she was thinking his words through. At last, she let him go, allowing him to finally bend his body back up to standard height.

"_Fine_. I'll take a stupid walk with you…but only if you polish all my tiaras!"

"Deal," Lincoln said, who didn't really care. He was used to doing his sisters' bidding.

* * *

A short while later, the boy and his little sister were walking down the empty sidewalk of 1216 Franklin Ave. Besides the occasional car that would drive past them as they strolled slowly along, the street was pretty much theirs for the evening. Not a sound could be heard apart from the cool breeze playing with the tree tops or the rhythmic tapping of their shoes along the weathered sidewalk tiles. The setting sun was casting an orange glow on every rooftop that could be seen, warming the neighbourhood with the last of its gentle rays and using the sky as a massive canvas to paint an elaborate picture of a warm summer's eve.

Lola was decent company, but she wasn't exactly his first pick for a walking buddy. She remained mostly quiet, responding with 'meh' or 'bah' as Lincoln tried to engage her in small talk. Eventually, he gave it up and resigned to simply walk in silence. Besides, he had a more important mission to complete. The whole purpose of getting time with Lola alone was only the start, and this walk was merely the vehicle towards reaching his true objective.

They were around three and a half blocks from their house and he was just thinking of a plan to inquire Lola of his recent suspicions when she saved him the trouble.

"Alright, Lincoln, you've dragged me out far enough. What do you want?"

He looked at her, mildly surprised. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Lola rolled her eyes, but didn't cease walking. "Don't play dumb, Linky. You don't ever just ask to _walk _with someone. It's obvious that you want something from me."

"Can't a brother spend some alone time with his little sister?"

"Sure," she agreed. "But you always want us to read comic books or play video games with you…or even stare at perfectly spendable coins behind plastic sleeves in dusty binders. Not once have you asked me to take a pointless walk with you."

Lincoln frowned. "Not that that has really bothered you, you know," he pointed out. "Look how much trouble I had getting you out the door."

She looked away, realizing that she had been beaten. "Fair point. But still, what's the deal?"

"I should ask you the same thing."

Now it was her turn to look surprised. "What? Why?"

Lincoln thought through his words for a moment. "It's your teeth."

"What's wrong with them?" demanded Lola, halting her footsteps abruptly. Her brother instinctively stopped too. They were now four blocks away from their house.

"Nothing's wrong with them, Lols. It's just that I've noticed that you're smiling a whole lot, but you don't seem very happy."

Lola stared at him for a moment, during which he swore he saw a strange shift in her eyes. Then she scoffed loudly. "Why wouldn't I be happy? I have everything I need! A perfect set of teeth, my beautiful looks, an awesome reputation for the whole city to know, a whole closet of perfect princess gowns, and a tiara for every day of every week of the month! I'm set for life!"

Lincoln snorted.

The girl rubbed her arm. "And you know, I have you. And Lana. And the rest of the family. You're cool too, I guess."

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Gee, thanks," he slurred. He still wasn't convinced with Lola's denial. Lola was a tough nut to crack, but he had had years of practice. "And so there's absolutely nothing that's making you unhappy?"

"Nope."

"Nothing bothering you at all?"

"No!"

She was showing signs of irritation again, so Lincoln backed off lest he wanted to risk losing his chance for her to open up for him. He considered his options and decided deploy another tactic and ease off her for a moment. He lifted his arms in a swooping motion. "Alrighty then, if you're absolutely sure that you're happy…"

"…which I am." Lola cut in.

Lincoln shrugged. "Then…cool, I guess."

Lola huffed loudly as she folded her arms across her little chest and glared up at him. Lincoln quietly noted that she had grown slightly over the years, as she didn't have to lever her neck up as much to meet his eye, though there was still a significant height difference.

"Why do you care anyway, Lincoln? Why do you have to always butt into all your sisters' business?"

He shrugged again. "Why _wouldn't_ I care? You're my little sister and I butt into your business because I'm trying to look out for you in any way I can. And it's not because it's my job or anything. I do it because I _want_ to do it. You do know that, right?"

She glared at the ground; her arms remained folded. "Yeah," she muttered.

"And you do know that I care about you, right?"

"Yeah."

Lincoln kneeled down on the sidewalk, so he was now eye-level with his sister. "And do you trust me when I say that you can tell me whenever anything is wrong because you know that I'll drop everything to help you in any way that I can?"

Lola kept her gaze on her gown-covered feet as she mumbled very softly, "Yeah."

_Cutting the edge of tension here. Don't mess up now. _Lincoln gave a breath. "So…will you please tell me what's making you so upset?"

Silence followed, during which Lola kept her eyes on the dusty sidewalk and away from Lincoln's view. Her head was dropped at a direct angle for her face to meet the earth. Lincoln was kneeling so close to her that he could count each individual hair on her head if he really wanted to. But he didn't; instead, he waited patiently for Lola to make a response.

At last, she looked up at him, and he saw that her once-hard expression had softened. She just stared at him for a few minutes and he could tell that she was thinking deeply. It was all in the troubled look that she was directing towards him that told Lincoln that his self-absorbed sister was mangling with the decision to remain mute or to finally surrender to his little push of reassurance to come clean. "Promise not to tell?" she asked in a small voice, almost despairingly.

_Bingo_

"Cross my heart," he said just as softly. "Now come on. What's wrong, Lols?"

She locked eyes with the ground again before reaching into a hidden pocket in her gown and taking out a folded page of some sort. She handed it to her brother. "What do you see, Lincoln?"

Maintaining kneeling position, Lincoln unfolded the crinkled page. His imaginative mind took him to many places during the brief seconds it took him to do so, offering possibilities as to what this was. Highlights included an ad for the new princess dress that Lola had been having a fit over for weeks since it was first advertised or a photo of Lindsey Sweetwater's exclusive jeweled necklace that Lincoln secretly knew that Lola envied despite her outcries of denial.

So imagine his surprise and confusion when he unraveled the page and found himself staring at nothing more than an old photo of Lola herself. He recognized it instantly as the one that had showed up in last year's school yearbook after a wild escapade of meddling with Coach Pacowski's computer and making a last-minute decision to abandon his and Clyde's carefully thought-out plan to include their edited photos in exchange for uploading Lola's single profile picture just for her sake. There it was, as clear as the evening air around them, right in his hand: his self-absorbed princess-wannabe sister complete with a big grin and typical 'Lola' pose. A very nice photo of Lola, especially when one factored in that their infant sister Lily had been the photographer. However, none of this explained why Lola would be carrying a year-old photo in her pocket and it was this mystery that was currently baffling him.

"Well, Lincoln?"

Lincoln snapped out of his dazed thoughts and looked down at Lola, who was staring at him intently. He looked back at the photo again.

"Uh…I see you?"

Lola rolled her eyes impatiently. "What do you see that's _different_ in that photo?"

Lincoln looked harder at the photo, than at her. Same Lola head, Lola eyes, shiny tiara and jeweled necklace. He wasn't really one to care as much about physical appearances as his sisters were, especially Lola, but he was very observant. It was just another skill that naturally took form in his tool belt as a result from living with ten sisters. Even so, it took him another few seconds or so to finally notice the difference, which became clear as day when he did and left him feeling rather foolish.

"You don't have front teeth."

Lola huffed loudly. "You're no good at 'I Spy', Einstein. But you're right…no front teeth."

Still maintaining his kneeling position before her, Lincoln lowered the photo to look at her properly. "I don't get where you're going with this, Lola. Why is this old photo of yourself bothering you? I thought you said it was perfect."

"It _was _perfect, Lincoln," she said in a strained voice. "But not anymore."

Now he was really confused. Almost shocked.

"What do you mean?" he pressed.

Lola directed her gaze to meet her brother's gaze with tears already welling up in her eyes. "Ever since I became a pageant queen, every photo, every video shoot, every pageant has featured 'front teeth-less Lola. Every single one. But I was dashing and beautiful even with a huge gap in my mouth! I won the awards. I won the contests. I've racked up huge collections of trophies and medals. The crowds loved me! I've spent years building my reputation and now it's bigger than Lori's golfing stats and Luan's stupid Youtube channel! And now, I've got my front teeth at last…and I look ten times prettier and beautifuler!"

Lola was huffing and puffing loudly, her chest rising and falling dramatically. Lincoln just stared at her. None of this was making any sense. But at least Lola was talking.

"And…isn't that a good thing?" he asked taking cautious steps. "Don't you want to be prettier and…uh…_beautifuler_?"

"Of course, I do, Lincoln. But now that I am…well, what does that mean about my past? The last six years running as Royal Woods' top pageant queen with _that _face?" she exclaimed as she pointed an accusing gloved finger at the photo in Lincoln's hand. "I can't look at myself the way I used to anymore now that I know I used to be less beautiful than I am now. But hiding away from my own hideous face has been driving me crazy. No matter what I do, I can't hide from myself. Sometimes, at random parts of the day, I go nuts fretting on what I used to look like last year. So, I carry that photo around with me to keep the panic attacks from striking. At least I don't have to wait until I'm in my room to look at the portraits on the wall whenever I start worrying over how ugly I used to look."

With tears streaming her cheeks, she hung her head low again. "I don't know what to do, Linky. I love my front teeth and I love my new look, but I can't find any way to love my _old _look anymore." She shuffled her position and exhaled deeply.

"None of this would be happening if I hadn't gotten front teeth in the first place. Maybe I was better off a toothless wonder."

Lincoln, who had not said or done anything aside from listening to his sister pour out her hidden anxiety, finally put two and two together. He spoke up in a slow and careful voice.

"So you saying…that because you look super beautiful now…that you look less beautiful back then?"

"Bingo, Einstein," she said in a deadpan tone that Lucy would be proud of.

A few minutes of silence followed, accompanying the cool wind that passed between them. So quiet it was and how still time seemed to stand; one could very much hear an archer's lone arrow falling to the ground subsequent to missing its intended target. While the world was at peace, Lincoln and Lola were not. Alone on the sidewalk in the setting sun, the girl stood with slumped shoulders and the boy kneeled with his mind ablaze. He was thinking…hard.

"Lola?"

He watched her lift her head and massacre-stained teary eyes at him. She was a mess, but he ignored this. The truth behind Lola's false smiles had been revealed, laid out in pieces before him. But now, it was time to pick up the pieces and put his broken sister back together again.

"You know how Lily loves to finger paint?"

Expectedly, she looked puzzled at what this had to do with any of her plight, but she nodded.

"You and I both know her paintings are splashes and blobs of paint all over the paper. Not something you'd see in an art gallery, right?"

She nodded again, her mouth remaining mute.

"But," he continued, "we all love them because she made them. And she's really proud of those paintings too. That's why we never throw away a single one of them. But I guarantee that Lily is going to improve on her skills the more she paints."

Lola scowled impatiently. "What do Lily's paintings have to do with me?"

Knowing that he was about to lose her, Lincoln quickly cut to the point.

"_What I'm saying_ is that Lily is going to become a great painter if she keeps on painting. Her pictures are going to be even better and art gallery-worthy. But her old paintings won't change. Sometime in the future, when she looks back at her old stuff and compares them with her current stuff, is she going to think less of them because of how low-class they are to her newer paintings?"

Gazing carefully at Lola, he could tell that she was pondering his words, as if she was starting to connect his scenario with her problem.

"Of course she will," he answered for her. "She'll probably think that her old stuff is really terrible compared to the great things she can do at present. But if I were her, I wouldn't let that stop me…cuz those old paintings were stepping stones that led her up to being the greatest artist ever. She improved with each not-so-good painting to eventually make really good paintings."

Lincoln laid a gentle hand on his sister's shoulder, believing that they had reached the point where she wouldn't shove him off roughly. "Everyone gets better at what they do, Lola. But they only get better by taking a whole bunch of mediocre steps first. That's the way it works. Look at Luna: the songs she wrote years ago are kinda lame compared to the stuff she writes now. And Lynn's performance and skills at all the sports she plays now were horrible way back then, but they were both so proud and satisfied with what they made and how they played that it just gave them the boost to keep improving and get better. Just because their new skills are better than their old ones doesn't mean the old ones were _worse. _It's what they had at the time and helped them get to where they are now."

"And then there's you. You think you were ugly back then compared to how you are now. But that's just not true. You just look different now, but in a good way. You weren't ugly at all. You were beautiful. And now you're 'beautifuler'. And in a couple more years, I bet you'll look even more beautiful than now."

Lola sniffled and wiped her eyes on the back of her glove. Wide shimmering eyes looked directly into Lincoln's, touching the edge of his heart with every inch of sister-power she possessed. "You mean that?" she asked in a small voice.

"Does this look like the time I would lie to you, Lola?" he asked. "I'm not an expert, but…do you get what I'm trying to say here? You'll only get better at everything you're doing and will be doing in life. But you shouldn't view your past as pointless compared to your current status. Otherwise, you'll never be happy. After all, your past accomplishments shape who you are now and what you can do."

Lincoln took a moment to breath before delivering one final keynote.

"I know your pageants and competitions mean everything to you. But honestly, Lols? You were beautiful last year without your teeth because that was the look you had. And with your new teeth, you have a new look that makes you just as beautiful. And your teeth don't make us love you any more than we already did. Sure, they're great and make your smile shinier and wider. But your smile from last year is just as real then as it is now, teeth or not."

Then, for the first time in what felt like ages, Lincoln saw a true smile grow upon Lola's face. A real smile. The first genuine smile he had seen from Lola for so long.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful, Linky?" she asked sweetly.

"Always have, always will, princess," he said truthfully.

Her smile grew, and although tears were still streaming down her face, Lincoln knew that these were originating from a whole new type of emotion.

"Maybe you're right, Lincoln," she said in a small voice. "I am still the same perfect princess as I was before my teeth grew in…probably even better. And I guess I shouldn't feel bad for myself for not looking this good in the past."

Lincoln smirked at her choice of words, but he knew she finally understood his message to her. "That's exactly it, Lola," he said as he finally stood up. "Don't let the past drag you from moving forward. If anything, it has done nothing but help you to improve. I'm not a genius like Lisa, but I think this really is the path you should be following."

"Then that's good enough for me," said Lola with determination in her voice, wiping the last of her tears away. Her glove was quite stained with wet massacre by this point.

Lincoln smiled. Time and time again, he felt the pride of being a big brother surge through his system, reminding him of the reasons that he loved his 'job' so much. This was such a time.

"So, you still think you were better off a toothless wonder?" he joked.

"No," she said, her voice still strong. She turned her face towards the setting sun. "I loved who I was then, but I love the new me even better. And I know I'm going to love the newer me even better-_er_ when I get there! Besides, I like my front teeth. They're good for biting cookies."

"And biting carrots," he added.

"Yuck! I hate carrots!"

Lincoln rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. _Welcome back, Lola._

Then Lola made a graceful leap right into Lincoln's arms, giving him a tight hug around the neck. Not caring at all if anyone was watching them along the street, Lincoln cradled her against his chest, hugging her in return. It felt good to be talking again.

Best of all, it was good to be together again.

After a while, he set Lola back onto the sidewalk. Taking hold of her blackened-smeared glove in his own exposed hand, he led their return trip to the Loud house. Even with such a glove on, he could feel the warmth of her small hand.

In contrast to the sight a neighbour or passing car driver might have witnessed if they had spotted the pair departing earlier that evening, there were smiles present on both faces as they trekked the short walk for home. The reason for smiles as true as these stemmed from sources of joy and satisfaction that only Lincoln and Lola could understand.

The sun had now set, and it was considerably cooler. Lola huddled a little closer to her brother as they approached the last block. The silence held between them was broken when Lola spoke up again. "Lincoln?"

"Yeah?"

She gave a breath. "Thank you. I feel a lot better now. But…there's something else that's bothering me."

He stopped walking, making her stop too. "What's up?"

Lola fiddled with her thumbs. "Everyone really likes my teeth…except for Lana. She gets all grumpy whenever I enter the room and makes excuses to leave. And she doesn't say anything nice about my teeth like you guys do. Why doesn't she like them?"

Recalling his earlier thoughts regarding Lana, Lincoln felt relieved that Lola had noticed for herself. "I can't say for certain, Lols. But to be honest, I'd say she's probably jealous of them. You _have_ been bragging about them for a long time now, no offense. Front teeth are all you really talk about these days. But maybe if you could tone down mentioning them every time you talk, I'm sure she'll come around."

The girl looked at the ground for a moment, then back up at him. "I'll try," she said at last, sounding a little reluctant. "I really like my teeth…but I like Lana more."

Lincoln smiled. "'Atta girl," he said encouragingly. "I think maybe Lana needs to hear that more than I do, you know."

Lola returned the smile, her teeth slightly exposed between the lips. Even with just a glimpse of the new pearly whites, Lincoln had to admit that her new smile truly was adorable.

"You're right, Linky. I'll tell Lana as soon as I find her. But first…"

She extended her arms up at him. "Piggy-back ride," she ordered.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Oh, what the heck."

* * *

It was already dark by the time Lincoln stepped through the front door with Lola clinging to his back like a monkey. A monkey with not just a new smile, but a new outlook and sense of purpose towards her very life's accomplishments.

Once inside, he spotted Lily at the coffee table. Washable paints of various colours held in plastic cups were placed here and there upon a bed of newspapers. Completed masterpieces and blank sheets of paper awaiting the artist's paint-splattered fingers were laid out on top of it all. Lily looked up when she heard the door open and waved a sticky hand happily to her older brother and sister as Lincoln walked in. Lola hopped off Lincoln's back and approached her infant sister, eyeing the few finished paintings, which were mere paper with liberal amounts of paint splatter and smears cascading their once-blank faces. Lola cast her eyes on Lily and smiled her trademark smile.

"My, my, Lily. These are splendid paintings. You're going to be a great artist one day, just you wait and see!"

If they were still functional, Lisa's lie-detection glasses would be respectfully silent.

Lily babbled happily and thumped a tiny handprint of yellow in the middle of a fresh sheet. Looking satisfied with herself, Lola turned to head up the stairs; Lincoln hung back to lean down and whisper to Lily, "It's a long story."

"Goo," she responded.

Lincoln then followed Lola up the stairs; he wasn't really sure why he was doing so, but he instinctively felt the need to stick with her for a bit longer. Lola didn't seem to be objecting.

The twins' bedroom door was closed. Once Lola opened it, Lincoln caught sight of Lana herself standing next to the bed with teen rocker Luna sitting on its edge. Lana froze when she saw her twin standing before her, and so did she. Time seemed to freeze up until Lana walked right up to her, while Luna and Lincoln tried to blend quietly into the background.

"Lola, I just wanted to tell you…I don't know why you think your front teeth are so great because I think they're pointless. But they really seem to make you happy and so that's why I'm happy you got them. Front teeth or no front teeth, you're still the same Lola I want as my twin."

Lola stared at Lana with a look of utter confusion before it was replaced by one that was significantly softer. Without a word, the twins simultaneously wrapped each other up in a hug as new tears began spilling out of Lola's shut eyes. You have no idea how long she's been waiting to hear that from the family member who means the most to her.

Keeping her eyes fixed on this touching scene, Luna leaned towards her brother. "Hey, bro? Something's telling me that Lana wasn't the only one who needed a good talking to tonight. You didn't have something to do with Lols, did'ja?"

Lincoln could only smile as he too kept his gaze locked on his two younger sisters united as one once more.

"You could say that. I'm guessing you managed to get Lana to admit her jealousy for front teeth of her own?"

Luna swung an arm around his shoulders. "Not exactly, Linc. Let me tell you about it…"

But that's a story for another day.

**THE END**

* * *

As for the dragon Grockgore, well, he likes his meals medium-rare.

Too bad the Dwarven army came out well-done.


End file.
